Organic compounds containing carbon-sulfur bonds, including, but not limited to, thioethers, have found utility in a broad array of fields, such as pharmaceuticals and organic semiconductors. For example, an array of aryl sulfides are used for diverse clinical applications such as the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, treatment of cancer, and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diseases. In addition, dibenzothiophene, azadibenzothiophene, and derivatives thereof, are key building blocks for organic electronic materials used in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). While known techniques can be used to form some of these compounds, the known synthetic techniques are limited in terms of flexibility, yield, or both.